Best Punishment Ever
by bridgie797
Summary: My continuation of a story that someone else created, but didn't want to finish. Troy has been sentenced to a stay on a farm where Gabriella lives with her father. Will love develop? Or, will Troy serve out his time and go home to the City?
1. Chapter 1

**Allow me to explain what's happening here. LOL, someone else created this story. Now, don't worry, I checked with her about continuing the story after they stated online that they wouldn't be continuing. I even sent that author (whose name I don't currently remember...something for which I apologize) an outline of what I wanted to do with their story. **

**That being said, I am reposting here the original 8 chapters that set up the rest of the story that I'll be writing. I have to place a disclaimer here. I have never written in first person before. I may blow this up really badly. But, I really like the story and want to give it a try.  
**

**So, without further ado...Chapters 1-8 as originally written:**

"Freeze!" And even though the shouted command scared me to my core, I didn't freeze. Instead, I dropped the can of spray paint and ran in the direction opposite of where the bright blue and red lights were coming from. Adrenaline shot through my veins as my sneakers hit the pavement, each thud as loud as the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. My heart pounded as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Turns out, my fastest wasn't as fast as the cops fastest. Long story short, he caught me.

Now, I had a court date the day after my graduation, which was a bummer. Not that I had plans or anything crazy like that, but starting your summer off in court wasn't the best way to say hello to the stereotypically best season of the year. Plus, on top of that wonderful little detail, I was seriously worried about what was going to happen to me after the day was over. I had absolutely no idea what kind of charges an eighteen year old boy got for graffiti. It couldn't be that bad, right?

It was the first, the only, bad thing I'd ever done. Well, that wasn't true. But this was the first seriously bad thing I'd done, and gotten caught for. See, up until a couple of months ago, I was a good kid, close to perfect. My dad was a business man in New York City, and my mom was a fashion writer for a popular babe magazine. I had money, a nice car, and a three story house with so much room, you could play hide and seek.

Now, because of my mistakes, I'd probably be sent away to some detention center for a couple of months. Lucky me, right? Yeah. Right.

That was why, as I sat in the courtroom with my parents beside me despite their stupid differences, I was mentally cursing the world and everyone in it. What did I care, anyway?

The jury re-entered the room then, and I bit my tongue. I knew I was holding my breath. I knew I should exhale, but I foudn that I couldn't do that at the moment as the group of people sat back down in the places they'd been during my... trial? Is that what they're called? I didn't know.

The next few moments seemed to drag on forever, but finally, the judge spoke, his voice deep and slightly critical. I mentally cursed him, again, thinking he could definitely use an extra one, thought of especially for him and his judgemental eyes. Sure, he was a judge. Maybe he was supposed to be judgemental, but seriously. Give me a break.

"The jury has thoroughly thought this through, and it has been agreedon that Mr. Troy Bolton will not be sent to a detention center, because that would be too easy on him." The judge now looked smug. I cursed under my breath at him this time.

So, they were going to send me to... what? Jail? I felt my palms start to sweat.

"However, jail in this case seems a bit harsh. So, because this is your first mess up, we've come up with a very special punishment for you."

Somehow, I'd exhaled in that period of time, but now, I held my breath again.

"It has been decided that Troy will spend the summer on a farm in Alabama. You will do whatever the owner of the farm says, and you will not argue or complain. If at any time he lacks or disappoints, the sentence will be extended."

So, now, I was stuck on a farm that could have been in the boondocks, maybe it was, for four and a half months. I'd never even drove past a farm before, because they're not exactly all that common in New York City, and now, I had to live and work on one.

When I got there, the first thing I saw was a barn. No, two barns. I thought there might even be three, but the third one wound up being a house. Go figure. The car that had driven me from the airport was already gone when a man came out of the... house. He took one of my suitcases, wincing slightly, which made me angry because my suitcase wasn't that heavy, and told me to follow him. I obeyed him, unsuccessfully trying to hide my distaste.

The wood creaked when I walked on it. The cabinets looked worn. My room was the size of my bathroom back home. "You'll have to share the bathroom with my daughter, but no funny business. Her room is across the hall. She can answer any questions you have, for the most part. Now," he gestured to what I assumed to be a dresser. "Get unpacked and settled in. Dinner is at six-thirty. We'll get you working tomorrow. Holler if you need anything."

Holler? Who says that?

"Dad, I thought you were resting." A voice, feminine, kept me from having to speak. A girl who looked about seventeen walked in. My jaw dropped, my eyes widened, and in the stupidest way imaginable, my breath came out in a strange gasp. Thank God it didn't make a sound.

To say she was beautiful would be an understatement. She was so unbelievably gorgeous that I found myself staring even as she sent her father to his room. She was wearing a tank top, and she had a gorgeous skin tone. The tank top was short, and I just could see the skin of her stomach peeking out. She was wearing shorts that were, well, short. Her eyes met mine, and she looked me up and down.

"You must be Troy." she said slowly. "I, uh, I'm Gabriella. nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, getting over whatever had affected her and smiling.

I nodded as I shook her hand, blinking as I centered myself from my initial reaction. I looked around. "So, this place is... quaint." I made a face. "Definitely not what I'm used to, that's for sure."

She raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Where exactly are you from, again?" Curiousity tinged her voice and she was watching me with a funny expression on her face.

"New York." I shrugged, sitting down on the bed that squeaked when I did so.

She nodded, trying to hide a smile as I heard a strange noise. "Ah. I see." She put a hand on her hip, and I looked away, trying not to stare. I failed miserably, but if she noticed, she didn't show it.

I heard the noise again, and I looked at her. "What is that?"

She laughed. "That," she smirked. "is a goat."

I looked at her, completely incredulous. I was so in a mess, in more ways than one. Not only was I stuck on a stupid farm, but the farmer's daughter was the hottest girl I'd ever laid my eyes on, and she had that sweet look to her that made you want to think she was innocent, but I knew she most likely wasn't. I wondered how many guys she'd slept with, and the circumstances behind it.

She didn't seem to be one to just sleep with someone, but I didn't think she'd have to love someone to have sex with them. I reigned my thoughts in as she laughed slightly. Must have been my face or something. I hoped that was it, anyway. I sighed, looking around at my room for the next five and a half months.

"If I asked you to kill me now, would you?" I asked, only half joking. She shook her head as if I was a child who needed to be disciplined. And hey, maybe I was. Maybe I did. And if she was doing the disciplining? My mind ran like crazy.

She gave me a sarcastically skeptical look. "This is definitely going to be interesting." She said, not answering my question at all. She began to walk out the room, but looked over her shoulder at me. "Welcome to Alabama, City Boy."

Chapter 2

A rooster woke me in the morning, and I sat up, blinking at the light filtering in through the single window to my left as I momentarily forgot where I was. Then, it dawned on me, and I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

It was early, really early, from what I could tell because of the low intensity of the light, the temperature, and my body's complaints about being awake before normal. The rooster crowed again, and the noise irritated me to high heavens even as Gabriella peeked her head in my door. Once she saw I was awake and decent, she came all the way in, and my hormones kicked into fourth gear.

She was wearing shorts that were, well, short, and had on a plaid shirt that had been rolled up and tied, exposing a toned stomach that was as dark and as beautiful as the rest of her, or the part that I could see anyway.

"Good morning." she smiled, and if she noticed me staring, she didn't show it. "Breakfast will be ready in like, five minutes. If you want to shower and get down there." she paused. "Or is five minutes not long enough for you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you think I am, a girl?"

She shrugged innocently. "I don't know how things work in a city."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be down there in five minutes." I got up, grabbing the few things I would need for my shower and started to head that way, but she was still standing in the doorway. I walked up close to her, realizing with a smile that she was nearly a foot shorter than me. Yet, as I stared down at her, I felt slightly intimidated. Chad would never let me live that one down if I told him.

"You got a girlfriend back in New York, City Boy?" she asked, a twinkle in her eyes as the words slipped easily from her lips, lacking awkwardness that would have come from anyone else.

"No." I replied just as easily, taking a half step closer. "You gonna call me City Boy the whole time I'm here?"

She smiled. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to see."

She turned on the heel of her boots, walking away. Despite myself knowing that I shouldn't get involved with a girl that I would have to say goodbye to at the end of my sentence, I watched her walk away until she disappeared down the stairs.

"Okay." Mr. Montez said as I followed him outside. It was only nine o'clock, and it was already hot. I sighed, pushing my hair out of my eyes. "I'm going to give you a quick tour, and then we'll get you to work."

I bit back a remark, already wishing that maybe I'd gone to prison. It couldn't be that bad, right?

Okay, it could. I sighed again as he pointed me to a field of tall stalks. "That's corn. Grows well in the south during the summer time."

He showed me all the chickens in a small house to the left of the field. There were horses in a pen, cows in a pen, and goats in another and they all led to the barn, which apparently was split to house all of them seperately. Inside of the other barn, there were saddles and stuff like that, along with a cage with four rabbits in it. I was beginning to feel extremely out of place as he led me around to the front of the house again, but I bit my tongue.

I knew if I complained, I'd be sent somewhere worse. So, despite knowing the work I was probably going to do have to do while I was here, I kept my mouth shut.

"Okay, I showed you where the food is. Each one is labeled. Go ahead and start feeding the animals. I'll be out in a bit to check your progress."

"Yes sir." I said respectively, rolling my eyes once he wasn't looking at me anymore. I walked to the barn. Dirt was everywhere. I moaned. It was awful. I had been outside for fifteen minutes and I already had a desire to shower, even in their showers with little water pressure.

Disgusted, I fed all the horses, pigs, chickens, cows, and the rabbits. Finally I had to get the goats. I got a bucketfull of their food and walked toward their pen.

The smell hit me a good distance from where the goat pen was, and I stopped. It was ten times were than any wet dog smell I had ever smelled.

"Ugh." I groaned, walking a little closer, only to find that the smell got worse. I finally got the guts to get over to the pen and put the food in the trough.

"How you holdin' up, City Boy?" a voice asked, and I turned to see Gabriella walking towards me. I briefly wondered if she was moving her hips like that on purpose, not that she had to do anything to make my eyes linger on her body for a second longer than they should have.

"Um, have you smelled these things?" I asked as she walked up next to me.

She giggled, looking over at them. "Every day."

"They stink." I stated dryly.

"I know." she looked up at me, squinting. "But aren't the little ones adorable?"

I looked over to see one of them jump up on top of a hay bale, and then jump up, kicking his legs strangely as he/she did so. I smiled, looking back at Gabriella. She was waiting, expectant. "Okay. Yeah, a little."

She grinned at me then, as her eyes flicked down. She burst into giggles. I looked down, confused, only to see what she was laughing so hard about.

One of the goats was chewing on my shirt.

"Hey!" I yelled, snatching my shirt back and stepping away from the pen. Gabriella was still laughing, tears forming in her eyes, one of her hands clutching the fence post and the other on her stomach.

Though I really wanted to be angry, I found that her laugh was contagious, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I rolled my eyes."Ha, ha. Very funny."

She looked up at me, wiping at her eyes as she patted the goat's head. "Good girl, Peaches." She laughed, looking back at me as I removed my goat slobber infected shirt. Her laughter died down, and I caught her eyes, which flicked from my chest to my face.

"Like what you see?" I teased, and she bit her lip. Yeah, she was definitely not as innocent as she seemed. She looked back at my face, seeming to collect herself.

"I've seen worse." She shrugged slightly. "C'mon. I'm sure there's probably something else for you to do."

I smiled as she walked away, and, intrigued, I followed her.\

Chapter 3

"I am not, repeat with emphasis on not, touching that." I stated, staring in horror at the large spotted animal in front of me.

We were in the barn again, the one with horses and cows and stuff. The one that was kind of split into sections and stuff. I was currently in the section that homed cows... and they wanted me to milk them. The... cow... they wanted me to milk... a cow.

I stared, wondering how in the world I was going to do this if I would never, under any circumstances, touch that animal. Mr. Montez was showing me how to do so properly, and I went from disgusted to completely mortified.

"I am not touching that."My voice sounded strange. "No way."

"You will, too, unless you would enjoy being in a prison cell with a guy named Bubba." Mr. Montez said as he finished on the cow sitting in front of him and handed me the bucket. I held it with two fingers.

There was a small, slightly muffled laugh from behind me, and I turned to glare at Gabriella, who was leaning against the barn wall. She smiled innocently, and then giggled as I turned back around. Apparently, anything that put me in such a situation that made me uncomfortable was funny. Whoo-hoo.

"Now, you can do the other three." Mr. Montez said, seeming a little out of breath.

"Dad." Gabriella's tone was different than any of the ones she'd previously used around me. "You should go inside." I looked at her, and she was frowning at him as she walked to take his arm and lead him out of the barn. "I've got him. I'll watch him and make sure he does it right."

Her dad looked at me, then back at her. "Okay." He said slowly, and then he started to exit the barn. She caught his arm and kissed his cheek.

"Get some rest, okay? I got it. Promise." She assured him, and he smiled at her, and I suddenly felt as if I was intruding on something.

Then, he was gone, and so was whatever emotions Gabriella had been showing before. She pointed to the bucket. "You gonna do that, or what?"

I scrunched up my nose, still holding the bucket with only two fingers. "Uhm, or what?"I said hopefully.

She smiled, rolling her eyes at me before walking past me to grab the stool that her dad had just been using. She walked over to the next cow, and placed the stool beside him... er, her? It? "C'mon, City Boy. It ain't that hard."

She patted the cow on the head, and then gestured first to me, then to the stool. "Sit." she commanded.

"Woof, woof." I said dryly and sarcastically, hesitating.

"She won't bite you, I promise, City Boy. Sit." she repeated, and I stayed where I was.

"But can't she like, move, and I don't know, maybe squish me?" I said, not kidding at all.

She fake gasped at me. "You'll hurt her feelings. She can hear you, you know.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

She grinned. "No. Just sit down, City Boy."

I walked over to stand beside her, and when I hesitated, she put her hands on my shoulders and applied pressure. I reluctantly complied, shooting her a dirty look over my shoulder.

She took the bucket out of my hands and put it under the cow's... whatever they're called. Then, seemingly without hesitation, she took my hands and appropriately put them on the cow's... area. My first reaction was to pull my hands away, and believe me, I tried. Turns out, Gabriella is a lot stronger than she looks. I couldn't move my hands more than an inch. Go figure.

"Oh, my God." I cringed at the texture of what was in my hands, feeling slightly nauseous.

"Just do what I say." she said, her voice at my ear, and I swear, I could almost hear her smiling. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to follow her instructions.

It took five minutes of her showing me how to do it and me trying to pull my hands away before she finally pulled her own hands away so I could do it myself. I winced, trying to repeat what she and her dad had both done it. It felt weird, though, and after a moment, Gabriella sighed.

"No, not like that. You're most likely hurting her that way." Her tone was accusing, and I found that her correction was pretty annoying. Go figure. Hot girls usually are. "Don't squeeze so hard."

I released the stupid cow, looking at her as I stood, the weight of everything that had happened the past three months pushing me and running around in my head. I lifted my hands in surrender. "You do it." I shook my head, fighting against my temper. "I can't even do anything right in a dumb city, where everyone there does well. I don't know why I even thought for one second that anything here would be different."

Frustrated, I stalked out of the stall and started to walk away.

"So, do you really want to go to prison, then?" Her voice made my feet freeze where they were.

I turned, feeling the temper that my stupid genetics had just so happened to grace me with boiling under my already hot skin. "No, but I might as well, huh?"

Her eyes flashed. "What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes curious.

I fought back the urge to hit the closest thing to me and blinked back the angry tears stinging my eyes as her own held mine steadily. "Listen, Gabriella." I spat, knowing I was being rude just as much as I knew that I wouldn't stop now. Despite that, I tried to calm myself. "I know you have no idea what my life has been like. You're out here, where everything is simple, and family members love and respect each other, and you might think, in your disillusioned mind, that being a rich city boy is something, but let me tell you, it's not. You've got it made out here."

I stepped closer, and there were tears in her eyes. "I'm a screw up, Gabriella. My parents didn't plan me. My parents didn't want me. My mom almost got an abortion." A tear slipped down her cheek, and I felt some of the heat leaving. But only some. "And sometimes, it feels like I have to jump through hoops and juggle fire just to get them to love me. You don't understand that, Gabriella. You could never understand that."

She took a step closer so that she was right in front of me. I took a deep breath as she did, too. "I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet. "And you're right. I don't understand. And I don't know what you've been through, but that doesn't mean that you can snap at me like that. I'm sorry for what I said, okay? Really. And you're not a bad person."

"How do you know?" I said, wanting to believe her, all anger gone now.

"I can tell. You might be out here, for whatever reason that is, but you're not a bad person."

I felt my throat closing up slightly, and I swallowed. "So what am I?"

She smiled. "I don't know yet."Now, come on, City Boy. If we get this done, I'll show you something."

I smiled down at her, feeling guilty for snapping at her the way I had. "You're kind of amazing. You know that?"

I felt my mind freeze, because I had just said that out loud. Oops. She looked down, and I saw a light blush on her cheeks. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Thank you. I bet you are, too."

"You bet?" I asked, watching her.

"Well," she shrugged. "I don't exactly know you all that well." She stated.

I picked up her wrist, giving her a smile that I knew had a history of winning girls over. "Well, you know, we could change that."

She smirked, slipping her hand from mine easily. "We could, but you are very much procrastinating right now." She walked back to the stall, picking up the forgotten bucket. Or, at least, I had forgotten it. She handed it to me, and I sighed.

Then, I smiled at her. "You know I am never, under any circumstances, eating steak again?"

And she laughed.

Chapter 4

I breathed deeply, actually enjoying the feeling of the sprinkler letting some drops of water fall on my skin.

"Troy."

I turned at the sound of my name being said, and saw Mr. Montez walking my way, an envelope in his hands. "Mr. Montez. Something you want me to do?"

"No, you're done for today. Gabriella took care of everything else."

I looked at him, realizing how tired he looked. "What is it, then, sir?"

"When you were dropped off yesterday, they gave me this. I was supposed to give it to you, but I forgot. So.. here you go."

I took it, feeling really uneasy all of a sudden. And dirty. And sweaty. Yuck.

He nodded at me, and left. I stared down at the envelope, knowing where it had come from, and not wanting to open it. Sure, my parents hadn't said anything, but I knew they were disappointed in me. Why, then, should I open a letter that would simply tell me something I already knew?

Despite all those voices in my head telling me I shouldn't do it, I found myself pulling the sheet of paper out of the envelope, my hands shaking as I opened it and read the words on the page that threatened to tear me apart.

_Dear Troy, _

_We don't have to tell you how disappointed we are in you,  
because we're sure you are already aware. At least, you  
should be. _

I stopped, feeling angry tears gathering. No, these weren't angry. I just always said that because it was easier. I blinked, looking over my shoulder briefly to assure myself that nobody else was around.

_We know that what happened to all of us a few months ago  
was hard on you, and though we didn't really help matters  
much, there is no excuse. You should not have done what  
you did. We hope you will learn your lesson. _

_Mom and Dad_

_"Mom and Dad". _No "We miss you" or "We love you". Just a unsentimental note of who the letter was from. Tears spilled down my face as I thought of the way they had "handled" everything that had happened, and in that moment, I swear I hated them. I wiped at the moisture slipping down my cheeks, feeling small and insignificant.

"That bad, huh?" I heard Gabriella, and wondered how she'd managed to sneak up on me. I turned to look at her.

I folded the letter, composing myself as I put it in my back pocket. "You have no idea."

She offered a genuine look of sympathy. "You're right. I probably don't. I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "Not really your fault, but on the note of sorries, I'm sorry that I snapped at you earlier."

She smiled. "You're already forgiven." She tentatively held out her hand.

I raised an eyebrow, and she grinned, rolling her eyes as she stepped closer, her hand still extended towards me. "I promised I would show you something if you finished milking the cows."

I hesitated, but only for a moment, and then I was taking her hand. "Should I be afraid?"

She grinned. "Very."

Then, she was pulling me with her, holding tightly to my hand. Even so, I held on to her, too, not knowing where she was taking me, but not really caring, either.

Turns out, there's a lake behind that corn field. Go figure. It's actually a pretty picture, like one of the ones you see in a art gallery. It was late afternoon, and the way the sun was only a small distance from the horizon made the water shine in a strange way.

Gabriella instructed me to take off my shoes, and, being a teenage male, I grinned at her as I did. "Want me to take anything else off, sweetheart?"

She blushed, wrapping her arms around her bare stomach and walked away. I followed her, amused and intrigued, sitting down beside her on the dock.

She stuck her feet in the water, letting them move back and forth, and I made a face. She smiled. "You could try it, City Boy. It won't kill you. Promise."

I hesitated for another moment, wondering what kind of things would be in a pond, but the way she was looking at me would make any guy do anything, so I complied, sticking my toes in the murky water.

It felt weird, but other than that, it wasn't all that bad. Sure, it seemed slightly unsanitary, but so was everything out here, and at least the water felt nice. I shook my head at my slightly childish mental rants.

"So," Gabriella said, looking out over the water. "I have a question."

"Okay." I said, trying to look at the water like she was, but my eyes were drawn back to her.

"I know you're parents are tough on you and stuff, and you've had a tough life, but why do you let that control you?"

"It doesn't." I snapped, looking away from her. I moved my foot back and forth in the water, watching the ripples it created.

I expected her to get offended or something, but she didn't, and it made me feel bad, again. "It does, though. Just because you're angry with your parents for not being good parents, you act like you're made at the world. You walk around like you're so tough, just to hide what you're feeling. It's like... I don't know. Like you judge the whole world based on what your life's been like so far. You don't even consider that maybe... things get bad so that they can get better."

I sat there for a long moment, silent, contemplating what she'd said. "How did you put all that together. You been psychoanalyzing me since I got here?"

"I'm just good at reading people." She shrugged, looking at me.

"You're painfully honest." I took a deep breath.

"It's who I am. If I have a question, I ask it. I want to say something, I say it. Anything that I think usually comes out of my mouth at some point. Does that bother you?" She asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"Well... no. It's just different. I'm not used to it. It's refreshing, someone being honest with me." I smiled at her, and she scooted an inch closer.

"Just don't be so judgemental of the rest of us. Some of us actually aren't that bad."

I looked at her. "I know that." I smiled. "Sorry." I bumped her shoulder playfully.

She caught my eyes, and suddenly found I didn't want to look away. She was watching me, a slight smile on her face. I found my gaze drifting down to her lips, tinted the cutest color of pink in the light, and my gaze lingered for the briefest moment, and then I looked back into her eyes, wondering what it would be like to kiss her. Then, I really wanted to kiss her.

Whoa. What was I doing? I'd known her for less than forty-eight hours, and I wanted to kiss her? I stopped myself, knowing it was just because she was gorgeous. Nothing more.

A voice in my head said "awkward" as I looked away, wondering if she had known what I was thinking. I risked a glance at her, and she was looking down, biting her lip.

That didn't help me much.

Luckily for me, and perhaps for her as well, her dad called her name from the house then, and she was up fast, grabbing her shoes and almost running to where her father had called from, as if she wanted to get away from something. I stood, following her slowly, wondering what I was doing to myself, and to her.

She was beautiful, smart, funny, honest, and she had one of the purest hearts I'd ever seen. But I needed to stop thinking about her the way that I was. I was only here for a few months, and then that was it. I'd leave, and never see her again.

I did not need to go far here, no matter how perfect she was. After all, it was just a physical attraction...

Right?

Chapter 5

Two mornings later, right on schedule, that dang rooster that I had yet to actually see crowed, and the sound seemed to come right from outside my window. Thinking that perhaps the rooster was judgemental and had already decided not to like me or something, I sat up. Mumbling cursings under my breath, I stretched, wincing slightly. There was a light knock at the door.

"You up?" It was Gabriella and I smiled, remembering how, last night, before it had gotten too dark, we walked outside and she had personally introduced me to every animal on the farm. The way she treated them so affectionately was cute and that being so, I almost didn't mind the stupid gnats.

Almost.

"Yeah." I replied, sighing as I crawled out of bed. "I'm up. You can come in if you want."

She did so, smiling at me as she came in. "Morning. Get moving. This morning, you are collecting eggs."

"Yippee." I said dryly, sarcasm covering my voice.

"C'mon, City Boy. You can show me a little more enthusiasm than that." She challenged.

I grinned. "Probably, but I won't. I'll be downstairs in five minutes."

"Okay." She left, throwing a quick smile over her shoulder at me, and I couldn't help but smile, too.

I showered quickly, and went downstairs, where Gabriella was drinking a glass of milk, alone. "Where's your dad?"

"He's asleep. He's been kind of tired, so I told him to go back to sleep this morning, and that I would take care of everything that needed to be taken care of." She said casually, and I didn't push the subject despite my curiousity.

She walked over to me. "Hungry?"

I shook my head. "Nah."

"Okay, let's go." She put a hand on my back and led me out the door, toward the small building that housed all of their chickens, whose names escaped me. Go figure. The only one I clearly remembered was the stupid goat that chewed on my shirt. While heading in that direction, I happened to see a rooster, and as we got closer, it crowed, and I knew the sound.

"How upset would you be with me if that rooster went missing?" I whispered conspiratively.

"Very." She said. "You can not, under any circumstances, hurt Roger."

I took her hand to get her to stop walking. "Roger the Rooster?"

"Yeah, I told you his name, remember?"

"Sure, 'course I do." I said.

She rolled her eyes and tugged on my hand. "C'mon."

Turns out, collecting eggs isn't really all that bad. You just put them in a basket like you do when you're hunting Easter eggs. If you don't think about where those eggs just were less than 12 hours ago, it's actually okay. The only downside was this one chicken, who apparently didn't like me, and kept pecking at me. Gabriella thought this was hilarious, and when she laughed, I did, too.

I couldn't help it.

She checked behind me quickly, and then took the basket and put it in a... uh, refrigerator? I didn't know that refrigerators were anywhere but a kitchen. We walked toward the pond, our steps slow. I could tell she was about to ask something, and I felt my heartrate pick up, just a little.

"So." She began, and I tried not to wince. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? I mean, what did you do?"

It was the question I'd hoped nobody would ask, because it was so much more complicated than graffiti. "They didn't tell you?" I looked at her.

She shook her head and waited.

We got to the dock, and sat down on the edge of it as we had yesterday.

"Well, uh." I started. trying to decide if I should just go with the graffiti thing and stick with that, but I felt like, maybe, she deserved a little more than that.

"It started three months ago." I said, as the memories much too fresh ran through my mind. "My, uh, my little brother, John, died of, uh, leukemia."

Her eyes softened, and I looked away from her. "You don't have to-"

"It caused strain on my parents." I interrupted, knowing that after telling her about John, she was going to get the whole story now. "And they got divorced. They fought for weeks, telling each other who would take me, because neither of them really wanted me. Then, they got told that I got to choose who I lived with, and I told them I would just go back and forth. They seemed okay with that."

I paused, blinking a few times, looking over the horizon. "There was this guy, who found me by myself once, and kind of took me under his wing. At first, It thought it was great, you know? I didn't realize that it was a bad thing until it was too late. He got me with a bad crowd. Drugs, alcohol. All of it. It was bad."

"So what did you get in trouble for?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Believe it or not, they didn't catch me with drugs in my system, or for underage drinking. I got busted for graffiti. The guy, he told me to do it, and that if there was any trouble, he'd help me. He lied."

I sighed, shaking my head, feeling that odd feeling of depression creeping on me.

"How old was your brother?" she asked, her voice soft and right beside me, not judgemental or hateful. I looked up at her, and saw something I'd been craving for since all this had happened. Not sympathy, but understanding and compassion.

"Seven."

I felt her hand on my shoulder, and I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry."

For some reason that I would never be able to fully understand, those two words brought tears to my eyes. "You know," my voice was rough. "I only cried one time after John... died." A tear slipped down my cheek, and I realized I didn't care that I was crying in front of this girl I'd known for just under a week.

She was the best person I'd ever met.

Then, she was taking my hand, squeezing gently. "It's okay to cry, in case anyone's ever told you differently, and I won't think any less of you if you do."

A few more tears slipped down my cheeks, and I took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but you didn't have to tell me all that."

"I know." I smiled weakly at her. "But thanks for listening."

Our eyes met, and after a moment, she took her hand back.

What was happening to me? I questioned, resisting the urge to take her hand again.

"Sure. You, uh, okay?"

I wiped my face, smiling when she helped, wiping away one of the tears on my chin.

I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

God, she was perfect.

"Okay, come on. We have some animals to feed." she said, getting up.

"You know you're gonna have to tell me their names again." I said, getting up also.

She laughed. "I know, City Boy. I know."

Chapter 6

I felt Gabriella standing behind me, and I felt a smile tug up the corners of my lips.

"I am so proud of you." she said, and I could almost picture her smiling. "And on a Monday, of all days."

I rolled my eyes, pausing in my action of milking the cow in front of me to look at her over my shoulder. "Just so you know, this is still completely gross." I turned back to my work. "And besides, you don't really go by days here during the summer. They all just run together."

She laughed then, putting a hand on my shoulder, and I smiled, going back to my work. Her hand lingered on my shoulder for just a moment, and then it was gone.

I finished, and Gabriella took care of the bucket and such. Then, we walked out of the barn, and my hand brushed hers. Our eyes met briefly, and she blushed, which was cuter than I would have imagined.

"So, you're really getting used to things around here." she commented casually.

I smiled. "It's possible, I guess." I looked over at her, grinning as she rolled her eyes.

"Don't deny it, City Boy. You're getting used to it." She elbowed me playfully. "And you might even be starting to like it here."

"Yeah, well trust me, it isn't because of the cows, the goats, or even that stupid rooster." I said, and looked away from her when I realized what I had said. "I mean, uh..."

Then, I heard a cat meow. Or at least, I desperately hoped it was a cat.

Gabriella looked around as I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "Spot?" She made this really strange clicking noise with her tongue that I had heard old ladies in Central Park use when they were feeding the birds. It meowed again, and it sounded... slightly... hurt? Her eyes widened, and she took off running back to the barn, but instead of going inside it, she went behind it. I followed her, curious.

She went all the way behind it, disappearing, and I jogged after her, arriving to see her sitting on the ground, holding a white cat with a black spot on its back. It was now purring happily, rubbing against her arm as she clicked her tongue some more.

"Who's this?" I asked, thinking that the country was really getting to me, because I was thinking about how cute the thing was. I smiled, sitting cross-legged in front of her.

"This is Spot." she smiled slightly. "I was just checking on him. He sounded like he might be hurt, but he's fine. I just had to make sure."

Spot then proceeded to leave Gabriella's lap and come sniff at me. I stretched my hand toward him, and he sniffed at it, hesitating before he rubbed his head against my head. I pet him, smiling slightly.

"He likes you. Go figure." Gabriella said, seeming slightly amused. I looked at her, and her eyes seemed unfocused, ilke she was thinking about something.

"How long have you had him?" I asked, curiousity getting the best of me.

"Something flashed in her eyes, and she looked away quickly. My curiousity peaked dangerously. I couldn't see her face, but she took a deep, slow breath. "He.. He was my mom's, technically."

And that was when it clicked, and I suddenly felt somewhat sick. I hadn't seen a mom around the entire time I'd been here, the cat "was" her mom's, and there weren't any hard feelings, because Gabriella loved the kitten. That was obvious.

Gabriella's mother was dead. She had to be. "What happened to your mom?" I asked, and surprised myself with the intimacy in my voice.

She bit her lip, looking even further away.

"Hey, sorry." I apologized, "I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me anything."

She looked at me then, for a really long time, not saying anything. She simply gazed at me, silent, and it seemed as if she were contemplating. Then, she bit her lip. "She fell off her horse a year ago. She landed... wrong. Really wrong. Broke her neck. If she'd lived, the doctors said she would have been paralyzed from the neck down, anyway, but she didn't. She died."

I said the only thing I could think of. "I'm sorry."

Pain crossed her features. "And my dad, he's sick. Really sick, and they don't know what's wrong, and they don't know how long he has. If he rests, they say he'll have longer, but he hardly ever rests, no matter how hard I try to get him to. I don't know what to do."

She was rambling, and then a sob escaped her as tears began to fall down her cheeks. The cat jumped out of my lap, and, as if by instinct, I pulled her into my lap, and cradled her to my chest. It felt right, and it didn't occur to me at that moment to be freaked out about it. For a brief moment, however, I questioned my sanity, and then she was clinging to me.

It didn't take her long to calm down, but once she did, she stayed still.

I wish that she would have moved. A girl that I had known for just over a week was in my lap. That wasn't right, and I needed space, distance. I shouldn't be this close to her. I shouldn't have pulled her in my lap in the first place. What was wrong with me?

She shifted, and I used that opportunity to lift her out of my lap. She looked at me, her eyes clouded, and I stood quickly, trying not to read her expression, but I did. She looked confused, hurt, and more confused. "Troy?"

"I... uh... I'm going to, uh, go feed the, um, animals." I said, and prayed that she wouldn't offer to come with me.

She didn't.

She just nodded as her cat walked back up, and she picked it up, putting it in her lap and rubbing its ears. I walked at a steady pace until I knew I was out of her eyesight around the corner of the barn.

Then, I ran.

I wound up at the pond, and as I looked over the water, I tried to stop thinking about her, but I couldn't.

All I could think was that I shouldn't have done what I had just done. I only got that close to a girl if I wanted to sleep with her, and it wasn't that I didn't want to... I just wasn't going to. She was going through enough, obviously, without having a guy have sex with her and then leave at the end of the summer. Nobody needed that, whether they were "innocent" or not.

I wouldn't do it.

God, I hated this punishment enough. I didn't need to get attached to this stupid farm in this stupid city in this stupid state.

I could not afford to get attached.

I cursed out loud, the single word echoing over the water, because I knew I already was.

Chapter 7

"Okay, Mr. Montez, I'm done for the day, unless there was something else you wanted me to do." I said, walking back in the door, feeling uncomfortably comfortable with how dirty I was. It was that stupid chicken's fault.

"No, thank you. That'll do for today." He smiled, and I nodded, walking up the stairs to go take a shower.

"Hey." Gabriella appeared beside me as I was about to walk in my room.

"Oh, hey." I said, trying to keep conversation short. I'd been trying to do that for the past day, ever since I'd let her sit in my lap and cry, and broken down a barrier that should have never been touched.

"Okay, 'fess up." she said, leaning against my door frame with the obvious intent to stay.

"About what?"

"Why are you acting all weird around me?" she questioned, eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, walking in my door. She followed.

"The hell you don't." she said, but not in a spiteful way.

"Okay, fine." I said, turning to face her. "Do not tell me you haven't noticed what's going on. Don't tell me you haven't realized that we're getting really close, really fast."

"So?" she challenged, her eyes darkening.

"That doesn't seem weird to you?" I asked.

"No." she said, as if it were obvious.

"Well it scares the hell out of me." I said, turning away from her.

"Don't let it." she said, grabbing my hand and turning me around. "Don't push someone away just because you're scared. That's dumb. Because if it's meant to happen like that, then it does."

I stood there, looking at her, for the longest moment, not saying anything. Her eyes challenged me to fight against her again, and when it came down to it, I couldn't do it.

"Fine. I was wrong." I said, knowing that I wasn't just saying it to please her. "I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven." she said, and before I realized it, she was hugging me. Her arms encircled my waist, and I responded, wrapping my arms around her, as well.

And it felt strangely right to do it.

I groaned slightly. "Gabriella!" I called, rubbing my eyes as I sat up.

Gabriella walked in, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tank top that didn't quite reach those shorts.

"You called me?"

"I'm gonna shoot your rooster. Just figured I would let you know." I said. "I've been here for three weeks, and I still haven't gotten used to him."

Her mouth opened, and she came over to hit me. "Not nice."

"Oh, yeah?" I smiled, grabbing her waist and pulling her on to the bed with me.

"Troy!" she squealed, pushing against me. Her shirt had come up in the process, and I ran my fingers over her stomach, smiling when she starting giggling.

"You called me Troy, not City Boy." I said, still tickling her.

"I'm sorry?"

I smiling, turning so that I was half on top of her. My fingers got tired, so I stopped tickling her, and then realized where we were: on my bed, with me almost on top of her, my hands on her waist, hers onmy chest, and our lips only inches from each others. She was staring up at me, her eyes wide.

And I wanted to kiss her.

And then I wanted to do more than kiss her.

And then I knew I had to get up, fast.

I rolled off of her and got out of bed. "I've gotta get dressed." I said as she stood, pulling her shirt down as she walked out without another word. I closed the door behind her, and I swear, at the same time that I took a deep, shaky breath, she took one, too.

"Corn ready yet, Gabriella?" Mr. Montez asked as Gabriella and I walked back inside from feeding the animals.

"Few more days." she replied.

"Well, alright then. It's only noon, and the sprinkler don't need to be turned on so early in the day. Go put that City Boy in a saddle."

Gabriella smiled, and I knew I was in trouble.

So apparently, horses are a lot bigger when you're standing right beside them. It took almost five minutes to get me on the horse, and then Gabriella swung on hers easily, turning her head to smile at me as she gave me directions on how to "steer".

I followed her instructions, and somehow managed to get the horse to walk forward, beside the one she was on. It was quiet for a while, and I spoke to break the silence. "This isn't too bad."

"Yeah." she agreed. "After what happened to my mom, I didn't get on a horse for a really long time. Then one day, my dad told me I should start riding again, because he knew how much I loved it, and how much I missed it. so I did."

"Mmm." I murmured, acknowledging what she'd said, but not sure of what else to say.

"I was with her the day it happened. We were just riding, and Rusty got a little too close to Racer. They're both males, so they're territorial. Rusty bucked, and mama wasn't holding on tight enough."

"That had to be tough." I said, looking over at her.

"It was."

A mouse ran across the path in front of us, and the horse I was on made a sound that didn't sound too promising. Then, the horse moved, and I suddenly wasn't in the saddle anymore. I reached out to catch myself, jamming my wrist as I hit the ground. My head hit something, and things got a little fuzzy, but I heard Gabriella calling my name.

Then, she was on her knees beside me. I went to sit up, and she helped me, brushing grass off my shirt and arms. "Are you okay?"

I lifted my hand, and felt a jab of pain in my wrist. "Ow, my wrist."

She picked it up, turning it a little as I winced. "Just jammed it." she kissed it gently. "Anything else?"

"I, uh, hit my head on something, but I think it's okay." She pressed gently where my hand was. "Just a bump. You should be fine. " She kissed the top of my head. Her hand was on my shoulder.

"Anything else?"

And then, suddenly, I felt a rush of nerves, because despite anything I had said or thought or planned before, I knew the next words that were coming out of my mouth as much as I knew I couldn't stop them."

"I think I hurt my lips."

Shock flashed across her face as she bit her lip."D-did you?"

I hesitated, but only briefly. "Yeah." And then I put my hand on the back of her neck and closed the space between our lips, kissing her. I pulled back after a moment, and she smiled.

"They seem alright to me." she said.

"Mmm." I wrapped an arm around her waist, and our lips met in the middle.

Her fingers were in my hair, and I found I liked that, alot.

We kissed for another moment, and then she pulled away. "Come on, let's go get some ice for your wrist."

I followed her, the realization of what I had just done hitting me. Then, I realized that I could either worry about it, or I could just give up trying to avoid feeling anything for her. I could just let what happens, happen. I liked that idea better.

So, that night, when we walked upstairs, and she went to open her door, I grabbed her waist and pushed her up against her door. Her hands gripped my upper arms, and I smiled. "Just so you know, I'm giving up."

She looked confused. "On what?"

"Trying to avoid liking you, and getting attached. I'm done trying to fool anyone." I kissed her, pressing close. "Whatever happens, happens."

She bit her lip, reaching up to kiss me again. "Okay." she whispered against my lips.

I smiled. "Goodnight, Gabriella."

She kissed me again. "Goodnight."

My mind was telling me that I had made a mistake, but I told my mind to shut up as I laid in bed that night. I had just under four months here, with her.

Anything was possible.

Chapter 8

"Troy!" I barely had time to register the sound of my name being called before Gabriella had nearly pounced on me, grabbing onto my arms for support. I wrapped my own around her waist as a reflex. "If I told you I could show you the most beautiful thing ever, what would you say?"

I smiled, tucking a piece of her hair, which was in wild curls today, behind her ear. "I'm looking at the most beautiful thing in the world."

She blushed, obviously not expecting that, and gave me an impatient look when she recovered. "Seriously."

"I am serious, babe." I grinned, knowing I still had some playing room before she got angry.

"Okay." she sighed. "Second most beautiful, then."

I smiled, giving in. "Show me."

She smiled, taking my hand, and pulling me outside. Lately, she'd gotten on a kick of showing me all the things I'd missed out on living in a city. The way she talked about it sometimes made it nearly impossible not to fall in love with it, too.

She let me into the field with horses and there, lying next to one of the older horses, was a baby horse.

"Oh, wow." I breathed out as the little thing struggled to stand up and kept falling back down. Every time, though, he tried again, putting weight on his legs and trying his hardest to stand.

Gabriella smiled up at me with a smile that could give a homeless person with no legs hope for a better tomorrow. Maybe that's a tad drastic, but that smile is pretty amazing.

Finally, the small horse got the weight on his legs right, and stood, his legs looking a little wobbly at first, but once he was up and steady, he began frolicking around his mother, who watched him carefully.

"It's beautiful." she sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder, and I felt that wierd feeling in my stomach that I hadn't yet become accustomed to.

I wrapped my arm around her, pressing my lips to her head. "Yeah, baby. It is."

"So, what kind of music do you listen to?" Gabriella asked as we sat together on the dock, which lately had seemed to become our safe haven.

"Uh, you know. Rock, mostly." I replied simply, playing with her fingers.

"Typical." she threw me a look. "You ever heard of country music, City Boy?

"Okay, one, I thought we were past the whole City Boy thing, and two, country music? What is that, a cult?"

She shook her head, and gave me an expectant look.

I groaned. "Fine, show me."

"Really, babe?" I asked, completely incredulous.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, 'babe'." She emphasized, grinning. "If we're going to do this, you have to get the full effect."

"So, in order to get that full effect, I have to be out here, by the lake, the only light coming from the pole on the dock, and have mosquitos biting me?" I asked, watching as her grin widened. She threw some pinestraw on the few sticks she had piled up, lit a match, and set it on fire. At least she didn't rub two sticks together or something.

"There, that should keep the mosquitos away."

She pushed a button on the stereo she had brought outside, and.. uh, music? started playing.

_Lying here with you so close to me  
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe  
I'm caught up in this moment.  
I'm caught up in your smile._

"Really." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Really." she repeated.

"You can't dance to this though." I complained, watching as she smiled.

"Yes, you can." she said, stepping closer to me.

"Show me how you can dance to this." I challenged, and she surprised me by taking my hands and placing them on her waist. Automatically, my hands travelled to her back and laced together, as she put her hands behind my neck.

And then, go figure, we were dancing to a country song, and it was ten times better than any dance with any girl that I'd ever had to any rock song. She was pressed close to me, her hands slipping down to my chest, her head on my shoulder. I rested my cheek on her hair, and the moments that followed were so intimate I found myself afraid to even breathe for fear of breaking it. Nothing else mattered but her.

She took a deep breath, and my arms tightened. "See? This isn't so bad, is it?"

"No, baby." I kissed her hair. "It's not. I was wrong, and you were right, as always." I smiled, leaning back to look at her. "You are so beautiful." I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "And so smart, and so funny."

I trailed off, kissing her, pulling her as close to my body as obstacles would allow. I felt her fingers tangle in my hair, and I kissed her again, forgetting that I was out by a lake in the dark.

I pulled away, mystified by what was going on with me. I spoke without thinking. "Have you ever been in love before?"

She bit her lip, and it made me want to kiss her again, but I waited. "No, but my parents were, and I watched them every day."

I contemplated, starting at her, my hand on her the back of her neck. "So how are you supposed to know if you are?"

She hesitated. "My dad always said that you just know."

"Hmm." I murmured, putting this information in the back of my mind as I kissed her again, wondering if I was, in fact, being shown how to love by a county girl on a farm in Southern Alabama.

_My dad always said that you just know. _

But can you fall in love in just two months?

I looked over her head at the dock that we had both laughed and cried on over the past two months, and I rested my chin on her head.

"What did you ask that?" she asked, and with anyone else, that would have made things awkward, but not with her.

"I was just curious, baby." I kissed her hair. She nuzzled her head into my neck.

"Okay." And any other girl would have been demanding, and would not have accepted that answer, but she was different.

I held her close, thinking about how my "punishment" was nearly half over.

And I was 95% sure that I was falling in love with Gabriella Montez.


	2. Chapter 9

**From here out it's mine. So, if you have any issues, don't blame the original author. :-)**

* * *

I nudged Gabriella as we strolled down the sidewalk. Her dad had left us a note on the kitchen table to go into town to pick up some supplies and order a few things he needed. Now, as we went about trying to complete her father's order, I was enjoying a chance to tease her.

"Stop it! I'm serious this time," she said. Her response had been half-stern and half full of giggles.

"Stop it," I mocked. That look on her face as she glanced at me was awesome. She was narrowing her eyes and her lips were smashed together. She was trying to look menacing, but I could see that brightness in her eyes that she gets when I'm doing something she doesn't want to smile at, but can't help but enjoy. "So, when does this get fun?" I asked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Well, City Boy, maybe if you'd stop screwing around, we'd get to the fun part."

I looked around myself. This had to be where the term one horse town originated. I mean there was a couple of grocery stores and town hall next to a Starbucks, but really we were walking down the street because walking from one side of town to the other was about as far as my mom used to walk when she walked over to Central Park. "Oh yeah," I said as I nudged her again. This time I caught her arm and pulled her back to me. "Then maybe I'll stop goofing off." I had her arm in my hand and all I could think about was closing the distance between us. But, like an idiot, I just stood there and the moment passed and she pulled away from me.

"Yeah, well," she said looking a little flustered, "you really should." She took a deep breath and glanced over at me before looking away. Her eyes landed on something I saw a mischievous smile spread across her face. "See," she pointed toward the clearing, "that's the fun part."

I turned my eyes toward the place she'd pointed to, and just about groaned out loud. I managed to keep it internal, but I did look back at her with my oh you've got to be kidding me look. "Seriously? Gabriella, those things are lame. I thought you said we were going to have fun?"

She smirked at me. From behind those long lashes, her eyes flashed at the recognition of a challenge. "You know, things are only lame if you're not creative enough to make your own fun. You are way too accustomed to being entertained, City Boy. We're gonna work on that tonight."

I grinned, "Work on me all you like, Farm Girl."

She rolled her eyes at me and continued on down the sidewalk to our next destination, the Feed Store. Once the order was placed, she bounced out of the store and without ever actually asking me to follow she headed for the "festival."

Okay, there's something you need to know about this festival. This is a small town in the South. Their idea of a festival isn't exactly what a New York boy like me was used to. This was a muddy field, electrical cords running everywhere, lame "rides," mayor-dunking kind of festival. It was just an excuse for people to act stupid and drink some beers without being called names for it. I can say all of this with confidence, because for the first 5 minutes I stood at the edge of that nasty muddy field and just looked around at the idiots. After the first 5 minutes though, Gabriella grabbed my hand and pulled me into the insanity.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad."

Truth was I would have followed her anywhere she went, but I wasn't ready to admit that to her yet. "Whatever! This is—Gabriella the farm is one thing, it's supposed to be muddy! But, this is just—it's—why did you bring me here again?!"

She laughed at me. She stood there and stared at me and just laughed riotously. "You—" laugh, "should—" laugh, "see—" laugh, "your—" breath, "face—" laugh, "right now!" Laughter, laughter, breath, laughter.

I did the only thing I could think of, I knocked her over into the mud and then jumped on her and made sure she was well covered in the gelatinous substance while I tickled her mercilessly. "Yeah! You think I should see my face!? Well guess what!"

She was laughing hysterically and simultaneously attempting to push me away from her. "Get off me!" She kept trying to catch her breath.

Before I knew it, some guy was grabbing me by the arm and ripping me backwards. As the wind rushed out of me from slamming into wooden temporary wall, I looked up. Some back hills red neck was balling his fist to take a swing at me. I ducked just in time and agilely made my way back toward Gabriella. That was when I saw some other guy helping her up as she yelled at the dude who'd made me his target.

"Jacob, quit! He wasn't hurting me!" She grabbed the big guy's arm. "What is the matter with you?!"

He looked her over, "He was holding you down."

Gabriella shook her head, "We were wrestling. He was tickling me, Jacob. Quit being an ass and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." She turned to me and took my hand pulling me to her side. "Jacob, this is Troy. Troy, Jacob."

I looked at him. I thought about sticking my hand out for a handshake. Normally, if my mom or Sharpay or someone were introducing me to someone that's what I'd do, but this guy had just taken a swing at me. I wasn't feeling very polite, if you know what I mean. So, all I said was, "Hey," with a quick nod of my head.

The big guy narrowed his eyes at me, as the tall, skinny guy reached toward Gabriella's hair while he said, "So, how's it goin', Gabs? You showin' Felony Boy around tonight? Letin' 'em have a little fun for a night?" He laughed and looked over at his friend as though he'd said something funny.

He had one of those slimmy chuckles that you only expect to hear in some really bad movie. I tried not to swing as my fist clenched from watching him try to sweep Gabriella's hair from her face. Everyone was watching now. The only real sounds were the automated equipment around us. Everyone human was paying attention to the four of us. "Leave her alone, man."

"Oh come on, Felony Boy. You know you're not gonna be here long. We're the ones who have to protect her from city rats like you. Heard you're a convicted felon or somethin' like that. Pretty girl like her shouldn't be 'round creeps like you. We protect our own down here."

I would have normally made fun of his lack of education and really bad accent, but I was surrounded by people he knew and I didn't. I could tell by the way Gabriella was glaring at him, but not actually doing anything about him that I would only get away with so much. Of course, he wanted to think he had me scared out of my shoes. "Looks like she's known you long enough to know she doesn't want you around her at all."

There were some murmurs from behind me. The tall, skinny guy sneered at me and then looked back over at Gabriella. "You always did like them bad boys, didn't you, Gabs? Tell me sumthin, you slept with everyone who's ever lived in that house, haven't you?"

Gabriella's anger rose and she smacked him hard across the face, "Shut up and go crawl back into your nasty little hole, Tanner! You ain't worth my time!" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me back toward the truck that was parked at the end of the road just beyond town hall and the police station.

As we got to the truck she shook her head, "I'm gonna get a couple of blankets out of the hardware box for us to sit on. I am so not cleaning this out of the truck later." It was obvious that she was still angry.

The ride back to the farm was less than exciting. In fact, it felt long and excruciating. I couldn't seem to stop hearing that guy's comment about her sleeping with everyone who'd been in out at the farm. I knew he was full of shit, but I couldn't shake that he did know her better than I did. For all I knew he was right. If that was true, everything I thought had been real between us before was just another fling for her, a fling with a guy who'd be gone in a few months.

"Look, those guys are idiots. You can't believe half the shit that comes out of their mouths."

I looked over at her. Those were the first words she'd said since we'd gotten in the truck 25 minutes ago. "Well, they sure knew what buttons to push with you, didn't they?"

Gabriella just looked over at me for a second. The truck hit a pot hole and she slammed on the brakes. "Excuse me?"

I looked over at her through narrowed eyes, "You heard me."

"Oh, really. You think they were telling the truth about me?!"

"Well, you didn't exactly deny it, did you? So, what's your game, Gabriella?! What, some guy gets sent out here for a few months and you get your rocks off figuring him out and then playing with him until he goes back home?!"

She was furious, but right now I just didn't care. "Who said it was just guys? Why don't you accuse me of the same shit he did! Hell, if you really wanted to be thorough you'd need to include my dad in that list!"

I was fuming. If I didn't get out of this truck soon, I was going to break the dashboard. "Screw this! I'm walking home!"

"Good! You deserve to! Wouldn't want you riding around with a slut like me! You might catch something by accident!" She glared at me and as I hopped out of the truck. I could feel her anger like a blanket surrounding me or a death ray trying to penetrate my skin.

"Fuck you!" was all I could think to scream back at her. I was furious now too. I thought for once in my life I'd found something worthwhile. I thought she actually cared or could care about me. I kicked at a rock in front of me. "Screw her," I mumbled to myself. "I don't need her. It's not like I actually care about her. She's just some girl on a farm." I kept walking toward the farmhouse in the distance. I saw the truck park in front of the house and Gabriella start unloading the bed of the truck.


	3. Chapter 10

By the time I walked into the house, it was dark and quiet. She'd obviously stripped down and left her muddy clothes outside. I found myself wishing I'd been close enough to see, but I was still so angry about _all the other guys_ that I walked off and headed down to the pond. I dropped my phone and wallet on the dock before I jumped in and cleaned off all the mud as best I could and then I got out and sat on the dock for a little while. I eventually stripped down to my boxer briefs and just laid there in the quiet for a bit.

My mind was running like a million miles a minute. I kept trying to remember that I was only going to be here for a few months and then I was a free man again.

I opened up my phone and flicked through some pictures. I don't know what I was looking for. I guess it was just something to do to keep from seething over all the things that had been said tonight. Some therapist probably would have told you I was avoiding the emotional consequences of unexpected disappointments, and guilt about my fight with Gabriella. Truth was I just didn't want to think about it anymore.

I landed on a picture of her from right after I'd gotten here. She was bent over in the barn with this short pair of cut off jean shorts on. I could see the bottom curve of her ass and before she noticed, I got a quick shot of her very fine butt. I felt myself getting hard again. I shouldn't have been staring at that picture of all things, but seeing her half naked in a tank top and those shorts made me want to relieve some pressure, if you know what I mean.

"You really should come inside the house. Dad's already asleep and I don't want to have to come looking for you in the morning when there are chores to do around here."

I jumped and felt my heart thudding at something close to a zillion beats per minute. "Oh, uh, yeah." I whipped around and tried not to look guilty. "I'll be in a few minutes."

She just looked at me and I thought for sure I was busted. "What are you up to out here anyway?"

"Oh you know, just blowing off some steam." I tried to shrug it off, but I wasn't sure if she'd seen what was on my phone or if she could see my tenting underwear.

She looked at me suspiciously and then rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She started to turn around and head back to the house. Then, all hell broke loose. I heard her mumble, "Like you have anything to be pissed off about."

I yelled toward her, "What's the matter? Afraid I'll leave before you get what you want?"

Gabriella spun on her heel. "You're a jerk, you know that?! What have I ever done to you that would make you think I'm really like that!? What guy have you seen me hang all over? I have spent nearly every waking minute with you!"

I felt really bad. She was right. I hadn't even heard her mention another guy, much less an ex-boyfriend. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm not a whore, Troy. I'm—I'm just a girl who loves her horses and yes, is terrified of losing her daddy. You don't know me. And, you, sure as hell, don't know those jerks you met in town tonight. If you had bothered to ask, I'd have told you that the tall, skinny kid has been trying to manipulate me into being his girlfriend since we were 8. Maybe then you would have realized that they were just jealous. I would never have let them get that close to me, ever!" She turned and stormed off to the house crying her eyes out. I watched her go.

I was mad at myself, but I wasn't ready to give up my pride. So, I did what I always do when I'm mad at a girl. I called Chad. Usually, Chad is the first person any guy would turn to when he's having girl troubles. Chad was smooth and cocky and never managed to let any girl really faze him. I heard giggling as soon as he picked up the phone. To my surprise, I heard him say to someone else with the phone a few feet away, "Give me the phone, Taylor. Come on, baby. Please?"

I just about dropped my jaw. If it hadn't have been attached to my face it would have been at the bottom of the pond. My boy was hold up with Taylor? She would have been the last girl in school I would have expected he'd hook up with. She was a nerd. She was a way-too-serious-bookworm.

Finally, Chad took the phone back and I heard his voice, "Hey man! How's Podunk-ville?"

I shook my head, "It sucks. This place defies the laws of physics by both sucking and blowing at the same freaking time."

Chad laughed, "Wow, man. That really does suck."

"Yeah. I mean I thought it was going to be alright at first. The work sucks, but the farmer's got this really super hot daughter. I thought I'd enjoy my time here, right? Wrong. She's a total bitch. We got into this fight tonight and she went off on me like it was my fault some guys in town called her a slut in so many words! My fault! It wasn't like she denied it or anything! And, it's not even like I was joining in. I just stood there waiting for her cue to leave! I could have started a fight, but then I'd end up here even longer."

I heard Chad sigh, "Dude, you got it so bad, you don't even know you got it."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? That doesn't even make sense, Chad." I couldn't believe he was taking it like this. He was supposed to be on my side.

I listened while Chad figured out what to say next. After a couple quiet moments, he finally told me how he'd run into Taylor again after I'd left. He told me how he'd slept with her one night and then the next thing he'd realized, he was staying the night with her, and then it was a few nights in a row. He told me that in the two months I'd been gone, he'd figured out what it was he'd been missing out on all this time. I couldn't believe my ears. I pulled the phone away from my face just to be sure I had called the right person.

Then, I heard him say, "It doesn't matter if you're right or not, dude. If you love her, swallow your pride and tell her. Cause no body's gonna win if it all comes down to pride. And, man, if you're callin me from Alabama to scream about what some redneck called her, you need to swallow the pride and go tell her how much she means to you."

I closed my eyes and tried not get frustrated again. "But, she didn't deny it, dude. What if she really does screw around with all the guys that come here?"

Chad laughed, "Did you really think she was a virgin who'd never know the touch of another guy?"

"No. I just—"

Chad laughed at me again. "You just what? You thought what you had was real. Maybe it is, dude. But, you're never gonna know if you spend the rest of your time proving you were right."

I groaned, "Stop sounding all wise and shit! You're the girl hater, man! You're supposed to have my back on this!"

I could hear Chad's sigh over the phone. I could easily imagine the expression on his face as he said, "If you love her, let it go. Then, go tell her how you feel. You're just scared she doesn't feel the same way. So, tell her and either get this over with, or go on with your lives, dude. I gotta go. Tay wants to go clubbing tonight. So, I'll talk you soon, bro. Peace."

"Later." I hung up the phone and laid back on my clothes still drying on the dock. I looked toward the house and saw her light was still on and I missed her. I wondered what her room looked like. I wished I could be lying there with my arms around her. God, I missed her so bad. I felt that ache in your chest that people only get when they miss the person that they're in love with. That's when it dawned on me. I was in love. I didn't just like her. I loved her. God, no wonder I was pissed! I was jealous, but Chad was right. She was the same age we were. She had to have had a boyfriend or two or three before now.

I got up and decided to follow Chad's advice. Plus, I had this sudden surge of energy and optimism. I wanted to tell her. I needed to tell her. She was going to be mine. I didn't care what happened when my time was up here. We had time to figure it out before that change happened. All I knew for tonight was that I was completely in love with her and I wasn't going to give her up without a fight.


	4. Chapter 11

Best Punishment Ever – Chapter 11

When I first came up the stairs, I had knocked on her door softly. In fact, I had tried repeatedly. She never answered. So, here I am leaning against the railing outside her door, pleading with her to just let me in or for her to come out here. Needless to say, she was either a very sound sleeper, or my pleas were falling on deaf ears.

"Gabriella, please just open the door. I really need to talk to you. I want to apologize. Gabi? Please?" I sighed heavily. I really should have given up ten minutes ago, but every time I thought about going into my room, I just couldn't deal with the thought that she might peak out her door just as I was walking away. So, I'm still out here hoping she'll change her mind. "Please, please, Gabriella. Just give me a chance here. I'm sorry. I'm trying to make this right."

That was when I heard some movement in her father's bedroom. I looked up as I saw the old man trying to wheel himself out of his room. It wasn't going well. So, I jumped up and helped him. I got him out of the room and asked where he needed to go. He said he'd like a sandwich. So, I got the old guy downstairs. We were talking casually about weather and the chores until we got to the table with his food. When I pulled up a chair, he surprised me with a "fatherly" look. That's the only way I know how to describe it. It's one of those things you just know when you see it.

"What? Did I do something wrong? Forget to say grace or something?" I was feeling a little self-conscious. I'd made a lot of gaffe's already tonight.

He chuckled, "She's got you nervous, huh? What did you say that pissed her off?"

I looked at him for a second. There was no way I was telling her dad that I'd basically agreed with the assholes who'd called her a slut. "Uh, well, it's not that simple."

His laugh startled me, but what he said after it made me smile a little. "It never is with women, kid. You'll learn that though."

I nodded and looked down at the table in front of me. "Are we always to blame? Is it always the guy's fault?"

His smile was that kind of smile that isn't just laughter, but a wise understanding of something he knows almost no details about. I knew he'd been in this kind of situation before, even if I hadn't told him what happened.

He leaned back in the chair and looked over the table at me. "I heard this great line from a comedian once. He said, 'You're a guy. In the relationship, a guy can be one of two things, but never both at the same time. He can either be right or be happy. I've chosen to be happy. I haven't been right in 12 years.'"

I laughed, "Great. So, those are my options?"

He shook his head, "Based on the pleading I heard coming from the landing a little bit ago, I'd say you chose happy sometime before you re-entered the house tonight. Don't misunderstand me. My daughter's got a good head on her shoulders. She's not going to take crap from some jerk. I taught her early on how to throw a left hook and she's had some practice, but Gabriella's a hard woman to keep happy. Her mother was too. She was worth it though. Beautiful women have options, Troy. She doesn't know it, but she is a beautiful woman. But, there's something you need to always keep in mind. If you really love my little girl, if you really want to be with her, don't ever forget her fears. She strong minded and beautiful, but her fears win her over too often. Ever since her mother died, Gabriella has feared abandonment. She's an only child and her mother is already gone. She knows I'm not well either. If you're not serious about her, Troy, long term, staying here, kind of serious, she'll never let you into her heart. She'll always be waiting for that day that your sentence is up and you run away from this small town as fast as your legs can carry you. If you aren't serious about staying, you shouldn't torture her, Troy. She's a beautiful woman, I understand the desire a young man feels. But, she's got a heart of gold that has seen enough pain. Don't torture her if you aren't planning to stay."

I sat there dumbfounded. I knew about her mom. But, I'd never put together that conscious thought together that she might be afraid of being alone. She lived in this small town where everyone knew everyone else and their kids. I just assumed she was so much a part of the town that she would never really be alone. Now, I got it. He was all the family she had left. And, he was obvious not long to live. I felt my stomach flop. Could I really stay here? Was this a long term kind of thing to me? Would she even want me that way if I did stay?

I sat there contemplating all these gigantic things as I stared off into space. Several minutes went by before he broke my train of thought and suggested that we both get back upstairs to bed. He joked as he said that the young rooster had started getting his lungs and he'd be croaking early in the morning hours again tomorrow.

I nodded and put the dishes in the sink. I helped the old man back up the stairs and was surprised to see a semi-sleepy Gabriella standing at the top of the stairs with a worried look on her face. I saw her eyes sweep over her dad, "Are you okay, daddy?"

From his cradled position in my arms, he smiled gently and just said, "Troy's just helping me get around a bit. You know I like my mid-night snacks."

I watched her for only a moment, before I carried her father as gently as I could to his bed. Gabriella followed me with the wheel chair. As I lifted him slightly, she pulled the covers back and helped him get situated.

Once back safely tucked into his medical bed, she and I left the room. I figured she'd shy away from me and go back to glaring at me. So, I was a little shocked when I felt her soft hand gently grab mine. I turned to her instantly, "Thank you for helping him. He doesn't get out of that room much anymore." She looked down at our fingers as her other hand traced gently over my skin. She glanced up at me with a shy smile, "He probably loved having the chance to talk to someone other than me for a change."

I brought my other hand up to her cheek and rubbed ever so softly across the beautiful skin there. "I was happy to do it." I smiled at her. "Besides, the old guy is pretty wise. He gives good advice."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, he really does. He has a funny way of knowing what's wrong even though you never really fill him in on exactly what happened."

I nodded with a smile, "Yeah, he really does."

She looked up at me through those eye lashes. I felt my chest melt. I would have done anything in the world she asked of me right in that moment. My eyes flitted back and forth between her dark brown irises. I could feel my chest rising and falling in that moment. My breaths had become slow and deep. I let my finger relax against her face and then comb back into her hair. As I did, I saw her tilt her head back just slightly. I was just about to kiss her, when I saw her open her lips to speak.

"I can't do this, Troy." I looked down and her head dipped to my chest. I felt my heart break. I didn't really know what to do next. So, I wrapped my arms around her and let her curl into me. It was like as long as she didn't walk away, there was still a chance. So, I held on to her.

"No, I'm sorry." That was when I realized I'd never actually done what I'd come up here to do. "Listen, tonight was crazy. I came up here to tell you how sorry I am. I didn't mean to sound like I agreed with those guys. You're right I don't know what you've done or haven't done. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was jealous, Gabi. I just got so jealous and I couldn't get their words out of my head. I'm sorry, honey."

I could feel her start to cry as I continued to speak. I knew she wasn't okay, but I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know why she was crying. I wanted to fix it. I wanted her to stop crying, because that urge to do whatever I had to do to ease her pain was about to make me go hunt those guys down or do something stupid. I've never been able to handle it when girls cry. It tortures something inside of me to watch a woman tear up. I want to fix it. I want to make it better.

I heard her voice crack as she said, "It's okay. You didn't know and if there'd been any more trouble, it would have been worse for you."

I tightened my hold on her. "Well, from what I hear, you have a helluva left hook. So, at least I wouldn't have had to fight them both by myself, right?"

I loved the sound of her tentative laugh as she stayed huddled in her safe spot within my arms. "Right. Dad tell you about our boxing lessons?"

I shook my head and then laid a kiss on the top of her head. "No, but I think that's a story I need to hear."

I could feel her loosening her hold on my body. She leaned back and looked up at me. The smile on her face made me smile reflexively. "Maybe tomorrow, City Boy." She gave me a sweet, almost teasing smile as she pulled away and walked into her room. Before she closed the door, she looked back at me and said, "Good night, Troy."

Her voice stirred something inside of me. "Good night," I said softly. I watched as her door closed. I walked back into my room and lay down on my bed. I was grinning like a fool. If my brother was looking down on me tonight, he was probably rolling his eyes. I missed him more on nights like this. When good things happened, those were the times when I'd think about him most. And, tonight had proven to be something I was sure I was going to remember for a long time. I looked up at the sky through my window and softly said, "Night, bro."


	5. Chapter 12a

Chapter 12a

"Hey," I said as I sat down at the breakfast table. She had already gotten up and made pancakes. I watched her closely as she walked toward the table with the large plate in her hands.

I was nervous right up until she extended the plate toward me and said, "Peace offering."

I smiled my golden smile and nodded, "Peace offering accepted. We good again?"

I grinned at my plate full of pancakes as she returned to the kitchen to make herself a plate. She hollered through the doorway something about last night. When she came back to the table she continued, "It really doesn't matter now."

Since I had no idea what she'd said in the kitchen, I stuffed my mouth full of pancakes and just nodded in agreement with whatever she said. I tried not to bust out laughing when her dad's comment from last night popped in my head, _You can either be right or be happy._ I was definitely in favor of happy right now.

Finally, she looked at me. "I made breakfast. You get to clean up. Then, dun-dun-dun, we've got chores to do."

I nodded, "I'm fine with the cows, goats, and hens, but I'd really like to request that we let that damn rooster starve."

She cracked up laughing, "Woke you up at 4 a.m. again, did he?"

I groaned, which she apparently found hysterical. So, I rolled my eyes at her, "You have no idea what it is like having that punk right outside your window. It's bad enough you get me up at 5:30, but him waking me up at first light before I am even supposed to be conscious is just freaking annoying!"

Gabriella continued laughing at me all the way out the front door.

* * *

That evening I was sitting out on the porch looking out over the field that sat in front of the house. It was a tenth of a mile long, she'd told me once. I wondered how many times she'd run through it. I could just imagine her as the cute little girl in so many of the pictures inside showed her as running and giggling through the field.

I laughed softly to myself and leaned over to sit my tea down. The one and only thing that I'd been able to stand in the South my first week was the sweet tea. These people really know how to make iced tea. I don't know what all those four star chefs in New York are thinking. Southern sweet tea is the only way iced tea should be made.

In the last few months, I had gotten in the habit of bringing my cell phone out on the porch with a glass of sweet tea. It was fun to just sit and relax after being worked to the bone everyday by my slaving-driving girlfriend. So, here I was minding my own business when all of a sudden dark curls are disrupting my view and my lap becomes abruptly occupied. "Hey!"

I loved when she smiled like this with her eyes so full of excitement. "You were all serious staring off across the field. I thought I'd surprise you."

I smiled at her softly. All I could think about now was the way she smelled and the feel of her body in my lap. "Yeah, well, you succeeded. I didn't hear you coming this way." Her sweet smile was enough to ease any burden that had been weighing in the back of my mind. "So, what's up?"

Gabriella took my hand and started tracing her finger tips along my fingers and my palm. It tickled and felt incredibly good at the same time. "My dad told me to go easy on you. He says you don't know much about small farming communities and that he'd seen plenty of folks have a rough go of it with people in town. He says you're doing the best you can."

I pulled her so that her head rested against my shoulder. "He's right. Every time I think I'm starting to blend in down here, something like last night completely throws me for a loop." I ran my fingers through her deep, dark strands of silky hair. "I know I don't do a very good job of showing it, but I feel more at home here every day and I know now that there's nothing like this for me to go back to New York to. Chad has Taylor. My parents don't hardly talk to each other, let alone me."

She leaned up and looked into my eyes, "There's more isn't there. Something you're not telling me."

I sighed without realizing it. She did though. I saw the look in her eyes become apprehensive as though she were bracing herself for a major let down or something.

"It's not a _bad_ something. I think it's not, anyway. I mean—"

She furrowed her brow as her fear began to show and I remembered her father's words about being weary of her fears getting the best of her. I knew I had to explain myself better and I had to find a way to do it fast. So, I just blurted out my hope in an unceremonious way, "I want to stay here with you because this is _home_ now. And I don't want to freak you out about that, and I don't even know if I can because it was the courts that sent me down here. And, I just—"

She laid a gentle finger over my rapidly speaking lips. "You want to stay here after your sentence is through?"

I looked into her eyes and wondered when I had looked away while I was spewing my thoughts. "Yes. This is the closest thing I have to a real home right now. I want to stay." I pulled her onto my lap so that she was tighter against my body. "I really want to be with you."

She just sat there quietly in my lap looking at me with unchanging eyes. I had no idea what to think. All I could do was wait for her to speak again. "We can keep you here after your sentence is up. It's just like moving in a family member."

I kept my eyes on hers. She hadn't said anything about us.

Finally she looked out on the meadow that ran along side the house to the East. "As for us, maybe we should think about it. That fight last night really made me think. You don't know as much about me as you think you do."

I looked at her with shock on my face. "Baby, I don't know anything about you. I mean I know you get up at 5 am every single morning. I know what you do each day to take care of everyone and every living being around you. I know what color your bikini is. But, I don't even know if you care about me beyond just a trist with some 'bad boy' that Corrections pays your family to work." I felt like my heart was out there on the line for her to obliterate with a butchers knife, but it doesn't change the fact that I was going to get this shit out. Because, her dad had been right, if she was constantly scared that I'd leave her, we'd be fighting about everything until the day I did. "Your dad is right. If I don't make a decision about staying or going soon, you and I are never going to make it."

Her jaw dropped, "What?! My dad told you to say all of this?!"

That was when I felt my brain do a 180 and I realized immediately that I was out of my league. "No. He said that if I wasn't going to stay then I shouldn't torture you with a relationship that wasn't going to last. Baby—"

She was off my lap and sprinting up the stairs before I could finish. I jumped up and followed her into her father's room and saw her standing there staring at his sleeping figure with terror on her face. I slowly walked up behind her and gently took her hand, "Let's let him sleep, babe." She was shaking. I could feel the trembling as I took her hand. "Babe?"

She looked over at me. "Is he breathing?"

I felt my stomach drop out. I had just assumed he was sleeping. I looked over slowly and watched his chest. After a brief moment, I saw his chest rising and falling rhythmically. "Yes, see." I pointed to his chest.

She turned to me with huge tears spilling down her face. She covered her face with her hands and fell into my arms. I held her there for a long time. "I was angry and I stormed in and called his name and he didn't respond. Then I thought—I couldn't see him breathing," she whispered into my shoulder.

Her father stirred as she was crying in my arms. "Gabi?" I wasn't sure I'd heard him, but then he said it again, "Gabi?"

She turned to him and sat in the chair next to the bed. I stood behind her and put my hands on her shoulders to help her know I was there. "Daddy?"

"I'm alright, Gabriella. I was just sleeping, sweetheart."

"Daddy…"

I leaned down and picked her up. I sat in the chair and put her in my lap again. It gave her enough height to be able to lean over the edge of the bed and snuggle her head next to his chest as he laid his hand over her hair. "It will be alright, my sweet Gabi. Just relax."

I knew in that moment that when her dad finally did die of his sickness, she would not be able to go on here alone. I knew in the seconds that I watched her fears over take her that I would do absolutely anything to take care of her. I would fight the courts, the cops, the damn undertaker if I had to. I knew I was staying.

Her dad met my eyes and I knew he was scared for his little girl. He knew her heart was going to break and he wouldn't be here to console her anymore. His eyes seemed to be begging me to take care of her. All I could do was nod softly. "Gabi, baby, come on. Let's go downstairs and make some tea. We'll come back up and watch your show sitting here with him tonight. What do you say?" I saw in his eyes a thank you.

When she leaned back up, all she did was pat him on the forehead. "How are you feeling, daddy? Do you need another dose of the pain meds? Doc said you could have one each day if you needed it."

He smiled at her, "No, I'm alright. Why don't you go with Troy and make some sweet tea, honey. Then we'll watch NCIS up here before we all turn in tonight."

She nodded, "All right, daddy. I'll bring you some sweet tea in a few minutes."

I took her hand and led her out of the room. When I got the door closed, I turned and saw her tears pouring down her face again. She collapsed back into my arms, "Oh my God. I thought he was dead. Troy, I thought he was dead." She cried quietly into my shoulder for a while before we proceeded downstairs.

I got her thinking about other things by pulling out coffee filters and splenda. I knew that wasn't what she needed to make tea, but as long as she was fussing at me over tea bags and sugar, I knew she was okay. I didn't know how much more of her tears I could take before I started crying as well. I felt my heart break every time a tear landed on my shoulder. I could have handled all out war better than I was taking her crying over her fear that her father had died.

At the same time I knew that pain. Her pain had been no less intense than mine had been when I realized that my annoying little brother was never going to annoy me again. During the day I'd be angry and furious, but at night I had cried my eyes out. Finally, I looked up at her as the tea was cooking in the pan in the sugar water. "I love you, Gabriella."

She didn't move for a second. I thought maybe she hadn't heard me even though the house was silent tonight. Then I saw the next tear roll down her cheek and I pulled her back into my arms. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I'm so scared of losing him and being alone." I saw the truth of her words and the pain that came with them in her eyes.

"I know. So, does he. Baby, you will never be alone. Did you hear me?"

She looked up into my eyes and I thought I'd never seen a more pain filled beauty in my life, "I love you, too."

I swept her hair to one side and leaned in. I kissed her softly a few times before we really began making out hot and heavy. The action was cut short by the sound of the tea boiling over though. The sizzling sound of the water hitting the stove top jarred us from our kissing. She went over and took care of it. I watched as she expertly handled boiling tea and turned it into the greatest creation since sliced bread, Southern Sweet Tea.

We put together a tray of fruits and crackers and cheese. She placed the entire pitcher of sweet tea on the tray and I followed her up the stairs to her father's room. He'd gotten himself to appear a bit better and had sat himself up in his bed and turned on his tv. He looked like a man who'd been sick, but was really just comfortably preparing to watch his favorite tv show for the evening. I saw the wave of relief that swept through Gabi as she walked in and saw this more normal scene. I nodded silently to her father with a small smile. His responding smile told me he'd known she needed this no matter what he actually felt like.

We sat joking about tv show characters and cheeses for a couple of hours. Finally, we were all getting tired. I saw her yawn a big involuntary stretch and I went over and picked her up. I carried her bridle style from his room to hers. They were each laughing at my antics, but I knew this was going to be one of those sweet memories. I set her down in her room and kissed her lips. "I was serious down there. I love you and I want to stay, if you'll let me."

She bit her lower lip. "We'll talk in the morning, City boy. Go get some sleep."

I kissed her again and let her push me out her door. I picked up the tray from his room. He looked exhausted. I knew that putting on the evening for Gabriella had taken all he had, but I knew it was an evening that was going to be incredibly important when she looked back. He stopped my motions with a hand on my forearm. I met his eyes. "Thank you for being the man you're turning into, Troy."

It was the most profound thing anyone had ever said to me. I saw the heartfelt gratitude in his eyes. I also saw the pain and weariness. "I do what I can, sir. She deserves so much better than me though."

He smiled, "Enjoy these early days of love, son. They are memories that stay with you no matter where you are or what trials life sends to you."

I nodded. I didn't know what to say, so I just helped him get situated in the bed to lie down again. Then I picked up the tray and took everything back downstairs. I realized then that Gabi wasn't going to be the only one who hurt when the old man passed. I finally got it. I loved this place and these people and I wanted it to all go on happy and healthy and for the first time I realized that I was including myself.


End file.
